From a Spreadsheet to a Global Network for Mentorship - Felix Lee, Co-founder & CEO of ADPList

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Two years ago, "two kids, one from Singapore and the other one from Africa" left their jobs to set up a company. It all began with a single spreadsheet and their obsession to build a product that people really need.

Today, their venture, ADPList, has over 15,000 mentors and hundreds of thousands of users, helping people all around the world find the right mentor. ADPList is transforming the way we think about mentorship - "we're all learners," says its co-founder and CEO, Lee Felix. They have been growing so phenomenally well that they managed to raise funding from Sequoia Capital.

Coming from a modest family, Felix says that "these things don't usually happen to people like me." Well, I say - these things should happen exactly to people like you, Felix! His work ethic is rarely found these days, and at only 25, he has a more mature outlook on life than most 40-year-olds I know.

In this episode, Felix shares with me:

• His personal story and the childhood experiences that shaped him as a person.
• Why he started ADPList and what the early signs were that he was onto something big.
• His early acquisition strategy and the things he did exceptionally well that helped him grow in the early days (he got deals with Slack, Figma, etc.).
• Why he thinks his design background had a great impact on ADPList's growth.
• What happened when he tried to introduce payment (spoiler: it was met with a bad backlash).
• The different monetization strategies he will be exploring in the near future.
• The importance of mentorship and what to do if you're unsure how to approach a person you'd like to be your mentor.

You can find Felix on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Check out and sign up for ADPList here (it's free!)

Watch the video interview here.